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George Lucas Family Foundation Gifts USC Film School With $10 Million Endowment

The endowment is meant to promote diversity in the film school, giving priority financial aid to African-American and Hispanic students.

The George Lucas Family Foundation has gifted $10 million to the USC School of Cinematic Arts to provide financial support to African-American and Hispanic students.

The money is a part of the foundation's 2006 pledge to the film school and represents the largest single donation for student support in the school's history.

Minority students on both the graduate and undergraduate levels will receive priority consideration for financial support, which will also be split evenly between male and female students, who will be known as George Lucas Scholars or Mellody Hobson Scholars.

“Hispanic and African-American storytellers are underrepresented in the entertainment industry,” Lucas said. “It is Mellody’s and my privilege to provide this assistance to qualified students who want to contribute their unique experience and talent to telling their stories.”

The first recipients will be awarded financial support for the fall of 2016.

The announcement came from dean of the USC film school, Elizabeth M. Daley, who said in a statement: “We are so grateful to George and Mellody for their continued support of the School of Cinematic Arts, and in particular for this amazing gift, and their recognition of the need to encourage the Hispanic and African-American storytellers of tomorrow."

The Lucas Family Foundation’s gift is a part of a greater fundraising campaign at the University of Southern California, which is a multiyear plan to raise $6 billion dollars to continue the university's various educational efforts.